going over niagara paul's

Friday, 3 April 2020

Thursday, 2 April 2020

GAVORA FAMILY. HORSE AND CARRAIGE. GRIZ, SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Early March.

In our father's words:

With little to go by, we didn't really look for the farm. Like so much, things change not over the years,

but also by the regimes.

Certainly wouldn't have expected this billboard to be from the times,

especially when it was advertising a gentlemen's nightclub.

I do have notes but at the time I'm unable to confirm one hundred precent that's our mother,

Ann Nemy.

Pretty sure and father Gavora being chauffeured.

Circa 1935.

Wednesday, 1 April 2020

DOBRU CHUT. Dobrú chuť

Editor's note: Central and Eastern Europe's answer to Coca-Cola, Czech produced "Kofola" is found in most establishments. Bottled and more than often, on tap.

Tuesday, 31 March 2020

BREZOVA POD BRADLOM, SLOVAKIA

We are heading to the birthhome of my mother,

Brezova pod Bradlom.

Nearby we will pass through the small hometown of Slovak national hero,
Milan Rastislav Štefánik.
1880-1919

The area seems to be a geographic hotbed that nurtured certain individuals that went on to become significant figures in a seemingly never ending "war" towards the country's sovereignty and democracy.

Brezova pod Bradlom

From the memoirs our father:

Without any detailed notes,

I would just assume the nearly one hundred years ago our mother would have attended one of these churches.

Monday, 30 March 2020

ZILINA, SLOVAKIA. HOME OF THE BROTHERS SAGAN

March 7, 2020

Hey, that's three time World Cycling Champion

Peter Sagan

on that billboard.

As we are coming into his hometown,

maybe he's promoting his:

Tour Petra Sagana

Zilina was also a temporary home to my father when he was working in the area in the late 1940's.

Before we came into town I took a look to see if there was anything of the Sagan brothers worth checking out.

What kept googling up were images, as below, of the house he was building.

Didn't really have any interest in inviting ourselves over, it was what possibly caught our eye as we drove thru.

I like Peter and have respect for his approach to sport.

With three rainbow jerseys he is any obvious world beater but certainly demonstrates a lighter side to life when appropriate.

Editor's note: Zilina is also the birth home of Jozo Weider. Founder of Blue Mountain Ski in Collingwood, Ontario. CANADA. He visited our parents once in Fonthill.